Dick and Jane appeared as the main characters in the Elson-Gray Readers written by Dr. William S. Gray in the 1930s. This first reader incorporates the 58 words from the three pre-primers and adds 100 more words. Supporting characters included Baby (or Sally), Mother, Father, Spot the dog, Puff the cat, Jack the clown and Tim the teddy bear. "Baby" has become "Sally" in this edition.

This new edition was first offered on a trial basis to first graders at certain schools beginning September 1939. The Dick and Jane series was used in the United States to teach children to read from the 1930's to the 1970s and relied on sight reading and repetition. When studies increasingly supported phonics as a more effective method of learning to read, the series became less popular.